Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Peace And Conflict Studies Master’s Programme RESTORATIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE Matthew Johnson Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2013 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contributions and moral support of Daniela Vann, whom I will continue to work with to promote my research and its usefulness to society. Very special thanks go to her and my adviser, Dr. Laura Finley, for her encouragement, knowledge, thoughtfulness, and prompt response-time. This would not have happened, of course, without my acceptance into the Peace and Conflict Studies program of Hacettepe University. I thank my advisor, Pinar Gozen, and everyone responsible for putting it together, and I thank my wonderful classmates for their support and the numerous memories we share. I can honestly say that the experience would not have been worthwhile without them. It also would not have happened without my patient and inspiring research participants, and there are many others — professors, colleagues, friends, and family — whom I will not list here but will never forget. I must, above all, appreciate Fati. This work is dedicated to her — with all my heart, mind, and soul. iii The death penalty or castration is not going to cure society of [sexual] violence. We have to look at the roots of this violence: inequality, injustice, inequity and a very bad system of governance, where the systems you’ve put in place to implement the law are exploiting it for their own purpose. So what we really need is to look at the total picture. –Aruna Roy I am not proposing that sexual violence and domestic violence will no longer exist. I am proposing that we create a world where so many people are walking around with the skills and knowledge to support someone that there is no longer a need for anonymous hotlines. I am proposing that we break through the shame of survivors (a result of rape culture) and the victim- blaming ideology of all of us (also a result of rape culture), so that survivors can gain support from the people already in their lives. I am proposing that we create a society where community members care enough to hold an abuser accountable so that a survivor does not have to flee their home. I am proposing that all of the folks that have been disappointed by systems work together to create alternative systems. I am proposing that we organize. –Rebecca Farr, CARA member ABSTRACT iv The criminal justice system rarely produces prosecutions in cases of sexual assault let alone true and enduring satisfaction for the victims and their families (Naylor, 2010). It offers little, if any, provision for perpetrators, their families, or the community that produced them (Hayden, 2012). Perhaps most importantly, it has neither stopped sexual violence nor curtailed it in any reassuring way in the United States, and by reaffirming male-dominated hierarchies and authoritarianism, such as in the police force and prisons, the criminal justice system maintains the culture of violence that gives rise to sexual assault and rape. This view is upheld by the target population to be studied: social justice and anti-authoritarian organizations. Far from frivolous or unorganized in their approach to combating sexual violence within their own ranks, these groups employ interventions in alignment with restorative and transformative justice, which are philosophies and practices representing nonviolent alternatives to retributive justice. Due to their commitment to radical change, these groups have the highest propensity to practice such interventions and may be the only population that does so both systematically and non-professionally. This thesis will list and examine the various models of intervention; demonstrate that the overarching rationale for these approaches is based on four major themes: ideology, safety, accountability, and survivor support/self-determination; and highlight the most significant benefits and challenges of these interventions — answering the question: how is a restorative/transformative vision of justice being applied to sexual violence within anti-authoritarian/social justice organizations? TABLE OF CONTENTS v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. ii EPIGRAPH.................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................. v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Defining the Terms ...................................................................................... 3 1.2 Theories ....................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Social Justice ............................................................................................... 9 1.4 Social Justice Organizations ........................................................................ 9 1.5 Why Sexual Violence? ............................................................................... 10 1.6 Why Social Justice Organizations? ........................................................... 11 1.7 Relevance to Peace Studies and Other Fields .......................................... 13 CHAPTER TWO: PRE-EXISTING MODELS .............................................................. 14 2.1. Restorative Systems.................................................................................. 15 2.2. Restorative Circles .................................................................................... 16 2.3. Restorative Conferencing ......................................................................... 17 2.4. Peacemaking Circles ................................................................................. 18 2.5. Victim-offender Dialogue/mediation........................................................... 19 2.6. Communities Against Rape and Abuse .................................................... 19 2.7. Friends Are Reaching Out ........................................................................ 19 2.8. INCITE! and Creative Interventions .......................................................... 20 2.9. Generation Five: Transformative Justice .................................................. 20 2.10. The Chrysalis Collective ......................................................................... 21 2.11. Hollow Water .......................................................................................... 22 2.12. Transcending TRANSCEND ................................................................... 23 2.12. A Word on Retributive Justice ................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................. 25 3.1. Grounded Theory ...................................................................................... 26 3.2. Challenges of Studying Target Group ...................................................... 27 3.3. How Do I Affect My Research? ................................................................. 28 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH FINDINGS ............................................................. 29 4.1. Theme #1: Ideology .................................................................................. 32 4.2. Theme #2: Safety ..................................................................................... 35 4.3. Theme #3: Accountability ......................................................................... 38 4.4. Theme #4: Survivor Support & Self-Determination.................................... 43 4.5. Synthesis .................................................................................................. 46 CHAPTER FIVE: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES (LITERATURE REVIEW) ......... 46 5.1. Benefit #1: Social Safety ........................................................................... 47 5.2. Benefit #2: True Accountability ................................................................. 48 5.3. Benefit #3: Resource Efficiency ................................................................ 48 5.4. Further Benefits ......................................................................................... 49 5.5. Challenge #1: Centrality of Survivor .......................................................... 49 vi 5.6. Challenge #2: Anger vs. Forgiveness ....................................................... 50 5.7. Challenge #3: Serving the Most Vulnerable .............................................. 51 5.8. Further Challenges ................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION ................................................................................. 52 6.1. Potential for Further Research .................................................................. 54 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 55 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The criminal justice system rarely produces prosecutions in cases of sexual violence let alone true and enduring satisfaction for the victims and their families (Naylor, 2010). It offers little, if any, provision